Carbon Creek
by I Am Spock
Summary: After Earth's devastating third-world war, the High Command sends a survey mission to Earth to access humanity's progress, but the ship crashes leaving only three Vulcans to learn how to adapt and survive in a strange, alien and illogical world. How will they survive in a pre-warp society? And will they ever get back to Vulcan?
1. The Crash

**AN: One of my favorite episodes on Enterprise was Carbon Creek. I thought it was cute and I decided to re-imagine the events that took place and put the characters in the city itself, in an entire different setting and with new characters.**

**The Crash**

First contact between Humans and Vulcans was only a matter of time.

The technological strides humans accomplished was admirable given humanity was still a relatively newly evolved species and despite their concerns, the Vulcans, had agreed to be the first to welcome humanity as the newest members in the galactic community.

But the rules of first contact were clear, the Vulcans and no other species could make contact with humanity until they had discovered warp technology.

The Vulcan High Command was certain this would happen and soon. Already human scientists had split the atom, discovered nuclear power, made advances in healthcare and countless other discoveries it seem as though humanity would join the ranks of other advance humanoid societies.

The High Command for all its 'excitement' couldn't exactly be sure how humans would take to discovering that they were in fact, not along in the universe. After all, through their observations, humans always had a hard time accepting and tolerating those that were 'different' from them.

This intolerance wasn't anything that the High Command hadn't seen before in other species but what made the humans so unique was how they divided amongst themselves. They placed great emphasis on such trivial matters like skin color and aligned themselves according to 'race', a concept as alien to the Vulcans as humans were as a species. Sure the Vulcans like humans came in all shapes, sizes, and colors, but divisions in Vulcan society were base family rank. A Vulcan with dark skin was just the same as a Vulcan with white skin; to them a Vulcan is a Vulcan. It was illogical to think otherwise.

Still, the High Command throughout the years sent survey ship after survey ship to study the humans and report their findings. No Vulcan outside those who were at the very top of the High Command even knew humanity existed and why should they? Until humanity discovered warp technology, the Vulcans couldn't interact with them.

After nearly a hundred years, the High Command could see just how close they were to finally being able to make first contact with the humans.

And then the war came.

Humanity's fall from grace was sudden, dramatic, devastating and the consequences could not be understated.

The High Command upon learning about the war abruptly ended their official interest and left humanity to its faith.

For nearly ten years, the war raged on as the great superpowers of Earth destroyed each other in a futile attempt to the last one standing. When it was over, humanity found itself plunged back in the darkness of ignorance and all the hopes and dreams of the past became nothing more than a dim memory. A memory, the new ruling elite did everything they could to purge.

So ten years after the war, curiosity got the better of the High Command and a small survey ship had been sent to Earth with the mission to learn how humanity fared after the war and to see if perhaps they were beginning to rebuild themselves. The Vulcan survey ship the _Koval_ had been in orbit around Earth nearly three weeks gathering what information they could.

Three weeks and already the small crew of four was ready to return to Vulcan. Humanity hadn't change since the war and in many ways it had gotten worst.

Tolarius, the captain of the Koval was sitting in his room looking carelessly at the hologram of his wife, two daughters, and grandchildren. As a Vulcan, he couldn't say that he 'missed' them without evoking or being accused of evoking emotion, however, he did miss his family.

His youngest daughter had recently given birth to son shortly after he left for his mission. Fortunately, this mission to Earth would be Tolarius's last as he was looking forward to retiring and spending more time with his family.

T'Mir the second in command was a younger woman around the age of sixty-five and hadn't married although pre-contracted to marry once she came back to Vulcan. She, however, was more focus on advancing her career and eventually teaching at the Vulcan Science Academy. This survey mission was to her, just another step towards achieving that goal.

Stronn, the second oldest after Tolarius had a family, a wife and a son and wished to be with them as well. Just before leaving for the survey mission, Stronn had gotten an offer to teach at the academy and used his free time towards developing lesson plans for his future students.

Mestral, the youngest, had only recently graduated from the academy. For him, the survey mission provided a unique opportunity for him to gather research for his dissertation on _'pre-warp humanoid species, the internal obstacles they face and how they use their technology to remedy these issues'_. Unlike the others, Mestral came from a prominent family, his father, grandfather and an uncle sat on the High Command. This privilege was a source of burden, as Mestral knew his family used their influence and wealth to ensure his success. Due to this, Mestral always worried others would not take his accomplishments seriously and he sought try and distance himself from his family.

Each of the four Vulcans was different in terms of personality as well. Tolarius was the stern captain with a military background whose heavy handed discipline kept both him and others in line. T'Mir the secretive and ambitious woman who longed for a command of her own and 'disliked' taking orders. Stronn was the family man who preferred teaching and valued his alone time away from the others and Mestral, the young researcher whose youthful optimism often clashed with the older Vulcans personal views.

The Vulcans had just finished eating their evening meal after a long day of research. "I am not sure how humanity will overcome the devastation they've created," T'Mir remarked.

Stronn, who was preparing yet another lesson plan, nodded his head in silent agreement.

"Shame because they came so close…." Stronn added.

Mestral finished his meal, Vulcan field rations, not the greatest especially compared to what he was use to, but he couldn't complain. Eating kept his mind off other things like T'Pena, the Vulcan woman his family had chosen as his future wife. T'Pena sent her fifth message today to him and Mestral knew he couldn't ignore her any longer

Luckily, T'Pena's telepathic skills weren't as polished as Mestral's and so he was able to keep her out of his thoughts, but he wanted her to stop contacting him. The numerous messages were not only distracting but it also alienated him even more from his crewmates.

T'Pena like Mestral was from a noble family and attended the academy to study literature which was a dead giveaway to one's family status. Noble women especially liked going to school for literature as it allowed them the dual benefit of having an education at an elite institution but didn't require much commitment like an education in the sciences would since all noble woman were of course, expected to marry and raise children.

Because of his noble status, T'Mir was 'annoyed' with the young Vulcan and delighted in talking about T'Pena to Mestral as a means to amuse herself.

"I have received another message from T'Pena." T'Mir asked.

"No. I will contact T'Pena later," Mestral kept staring at his PADD. He had just started working on his thesis for his dissertation.

Stronn picked up on the tension between T'Mir and Mestral; nonetheless, decided the logical thing to do was to stay out of it.

After all, the tension between the two Vulcans really had nothing to do with their personalities. On Vulcan, family rank was of great importance and often time advancement only came by way of family connections.

Several generations of T'Mir's family worked as servants for a noble house and T'Mir herself was expected to take on the life of a servant. Instead T'Mir's parents recognized their daughter's intelligence and ambition and in exchange for their loyalty, the head of the family served as T'Mir's benefactor to attend the Vulcan Science Academy.

The years at the academy for T'Mir was rough, as the first in family to obtain a higher education she often had to contend with Vulcans whose families had been attending the academy for generations. Nonetheless, T'Mir's intellectual abilities, ambition, determination, and hard work proved too difficult for the elites at the academy to ignore and despite her low birth she managed to move through the ranks.

But this came at a price, T'Mir's experience made her bitter towards the elite and she harbored a serious inferiority complex, one she sought to remedy by eventually being in command of her own ship.

For now, second in command would have to do.

And picking on Mestral.

But Mestral was no fool; he knew of T'Mir's feelings about him and tried to prove himself to not only her, but everyone.

"I am satisfied with this lesson plan," Stronn placed the PADD down on the table.

Mestral changed the subject, "When do you start your new position?"

"Just as soon as this mission is over, I will report my findings and relocate to teach."

T'Mir saw another opportunity to point out Mestral's family privilege, "Your uncle is the lead chancellor of the academy, and several of your cousins sit on the committee, do they not?"

Even Vulcans were capable of pushing each other's buttons and T'Mir was coming very close to pushing Mestral's.

"Yes, I have many members of my family who sit on the committee," Mestral answered, a part of him found it 'fun' to point out his family connections to a woman who had none.

In trying to change the subject, Stronn made the situation again uncomfortable for Mestral, "You are to be wed?"

"Yes, I am." Mestral answered bluntly.

This slight elevation in Mestral's voice alerted the other Vulcans to his growing annoyance and T'Mir knew better than to push.

The room felt silent for a few moments and then Mestral spoke.

"It had been my wish that the humans would have develop warp technology, I would like been interested to interact with them. Their culture is…..fascinating."

Mestral's youthful enthusiasm managed to get the better of him and provoked yet another conversation about the inferiority of humanity.

T'Mir glanced at Stonn, "You weren't alive when we first surveyed the humans and just a child when their war occurred. It had been the High Command's hope that humans would be integrated into the galactic community but they failed to accept humans are flawed, destructive creatures incapable of anything else but violence"

Stonn nodded in agreement, "Humans were never meant to be our equals."

"Then why are we studying them?" Mestral countered.

T'Mir wanted to give the young Vulcan a history lesson involving the Andorians, the Klingons, and other species the Vulcans made first contact with and all the problems they caused, but the ship suddenly and violently shook throwing her off guard.

Tolarius stumbled into the mess hall, "We have a situation. Our engines are malfunctioning."

The four Vulcans rushed into their respective positions.

"How did this happen? Were we hit?" Stronn asked as he tried to stabilize the warp field adapter.

"I am not certain. Our sensor readings don't show anything." Tolarius continued to work on the control panel.

"We are getting too close to the Earth's atmosphere. If we get any closer we might be detected." T'Mir warned.

"Send out a distress signal!" Tolarius commanded Mestral. Mestral's and the others knew because of his family connections, the High Command would make finding the Koval and her crew a high priority.

"The ship is going to crash; we need to find an isolated spot!" Tolarius then proceeded to remind the crew, "No matter what happens, we cannot contaminate humanity's culture! The policy of non-interference is now more important than ever!"

The crew understood.

After all, their stay on Earth would be brief; the High Command will get the message and send a ship to bring them home.

**An: I hope you like it so far. Please give me reviews. Reviews help motivate me and let me know if folks are interested in me continuing the story. **


	2. The Hunt

**An: I hope you like it so far. To address a concern in the reviews, I am tackling this story more or less in an alternate universe which I tend to do with most of my Star Trek stories. Vulcans are my favorite species to write about because of their dual burdens of being logical creatures, but with more passionate emotions than humans. I prefer to explore this duality because it would be very boring to portray all Vulcans as stoic emotionless creatures. Setting them up in terms of background and personality allows me to develop them as characters and enrich the story. **

**The Hunt**

(Five Days Later)

Fortunately, the ship crashed deep in the forest providing the crew both the isolation and protection they needed as they waited for help to arrive.

The small crew waited in the depths of the forest with what little supplies they managed to salvage from the wreckage.

In truth, the Vulcans were in shock, the captain was dead, they were stranded on a remote alien world with a pre-warp species just emerging from a violent war, and even worst, the threat of starvation was growing more real with each day.

Of the four, only Tolarius had experience with this kind of situation, thirty years ago, he had been stranded on a small M-Class planted.

His expertise would have been valuable, but he was killed upon impact, leaving T'Mir in command. Stronn and T'Mir had been on survey missions before to study other pre-warp species; however, Mestral's experience came only through theoretical studies at the academy.

Regardless of their experience, none had been prepared for this.

The thought of living out the rest of their long lives among such illogical and dangerous creatures sent a chill up the spines of all three.

Entertaining such a thought was logical if not necessary.

It could become a reality.

Stronn had just gotten back from getting more wood for the fire as T'Mir opened the last ration package. "This forest is teeming with animal life, remarkable, considering the ecological damage humans inflicted" Stronn remarked. "During my quest for firewood, I came across a baby….."

T'Mir interrupted him, "We have more important things to be concern about than baby animals."

Stronn nodded his head in agreement.

Stronn usually agreed with T'Mir. It made life easier.

Mestral took the wood from Stronn and threw it into the fire.

The warmth helped them all to meditate.

T'Mir took the last package of rations and shared it with the others.

They sat in silence for nearly thirty minutes when Mestral both hungry and tired interrupted the silence.

"Stronn spoke about there being animals in the forest; perhaps we can hunt one and eat? Its flesh will allow us to survive until the High Command sends help."

T'Mir raised an eyebrow, "Do you even know how to hunt?"

"Of course he doesn't. None of us do. Vulcans don't eat meat and our situation is no reason for us to engage in savagery," Stronn sensing the slight inflection in his voice make an effort to suppress his feelings of agitation.

Mestral shook his head in disagreement, "Death is illogical when it can be avoided. Why die of starvation when the forest can supply our needs?"

T'Mir put away her sensor, "And what if we come across a human?"

"We can come across a human by staying here," Mestral said.

"It's only been five days, Mestral." T'Mir countered.

"We can survive for a few more days." Stronn added.

"Five more days without food will leave us too weak to hunt and even defend ourselves," Mestral stressed his point.

T'Mir changed the subject, "We must think about the ship."

This sudden change in the conversation confused Mestral, "The ship?"

"Yes, we have to find a way to hide it." T'Mir responded.

The ship was the last thing on Mestral's mind; it was hidden away by the thickness of the forest. If worst came to worst and the humans discovered the ship, what could they do? Better to leave them with a mystery. After all, it wasn't the _first _time an alien species other than Vulcans visited Earth and left something behind.

But that could wait. Mestral wasn't going to point out the flaw in T'Mir's logic without her first understanding the need for food trumps even Tolarius's orders.

T'Mir understood the logic in Mestral's words, yes, they needed to eat and not just because of the threat of starvation, but also what starvation could do to their mental discipline.

Stronn knew this as well; already he could feel the barriers used to control his emotions starting to give away to fatigue and hunger.

A Vulcan with no emotional control was a danger to himself and others.

Mestral decided not wait around for the other two Vulcans to make up their minds, he stood up from the fire and walked into the forest.

"Mestral!" T'Mir called after the young Vulcan.

There were only two choices; eat flesh or lose emotional control and die of starvation.

(Several Hours Later)

Coupled with fatigue and hunger the two remaining Vulcans went to sleep to conserve what little energy they had left.

A few hours later, T'Mir and Stronn awoke to the distinctive and unpleasant smell of burning flesh and sat up to see Mestral sitting next to fire cooking the meat.

Sensing T'Mir's eyes on him, Mestral spoke softly so not to wake Stronn, "Starvation is illogical when it can be avoided."

When Mestral finished cooking, the three Vulcans sat around the fire and consumed the flesh.

(One Hour Later)

The meal satisfies the Vulcans hunger and helps in retaining their emotional control.

Now with the threat of hunger no longer an issue, T'Mir brings up another concern.

"The temperature has been gradually dropping. We won't be able to stay out in the open for very long."

"We could use the ship as shelter," Stronn suggested.

"Yes, we could, but ship is a wreck and the weather is going to get worst. I've been using my sensor readings to gather information about this area…"

"Did you senor readings pick up on a settlement nearby?" Mestral asked. "Staying here isn't an option. While I was hunting, I spotted a city about twenty miles from here."

Stronn and T'Mir exchanged glances, "Are you suggesting we go into this city?"

Mestral nodded his head, "Yes that is exactly what I am saying. These are not the Thollians or the Klingons our external psychical features are similar. We can blend in."

Perhaps in a form of Vulcan mockery, Stronn pointed at his ears, "And how do we hide these?"

Mestral took a piece of his hair on both sides and covered the tips of his ears.

"We don't speak human." T'Mir pointed out.

"Technically, there is no such thing as a 'human language.' Humans speak many different languages and dialects among their many cultures."Mestral continued, "The captain placed me in charge of observing human cultural and social interactions the humans in this area speak a language known as English."

"English?"

"Yes, it's base on primitive basic syntax. I managed to save a PADD with information on this language."

Mestral reached into his bag and handed T'Mir his PADD.

"We don't have a choice. We must go into the city."

Venturing into the city presented another set of risks the Vulcans couldn't possibly prepare for.

But what choice did they have?

**An: I hope you like it so far. I really like the Mestral character both in this story and in the Carbon Creek episode and get the feeling this guy is going to be the most change by this experience.**


	3. The Trek

**An: I really enjoy writing this story and developing the characters. If you are entertained, please leave a review. Thanks! **

**The Trek **

(One Day Later)

Mestral was right; English was a primitive language with basic syntax, so primitive in fact, all the Vulcans needed was a few hours to become fluent. Nonetheless, they struggled with understanding the human desire to saturate their language with idioms, metaphors, and other forms of figurative speech.

To the Vulcans, such things got in the way of effective communication and confused them.

A bigger concern was dealing with human emotions; Vulcans always had difficulty reading the subtle emotions in other species and thereby limited their interactions so to avoid uncomfortable situations.

Surely, they would not be able to do that here.

For such emotionally liberated creatures, it stood to reason they would regard those without or suppressing emotions as suspicious.

They would have to adapt as the situation warrants it.

The three Vulcans decided it would be better to enter the city at night, as it presented the best chance to survey the city without detection.

Stronn and Mestral spent most of the day after learning English hiding the damage ship the best they could.

T'Mir packed their supplies.

(One Hour Later)

With the sun setting behind them, the Vulcans began their trek into the forest.

None knew what awaited them.

During the war, many of the larger cities were destroyed and most of the population lived in smaller cities or rural areas.

Similar physical features and knowledge of English were only hopes the Vulcans had of blending in with the humans.

As they moved deeper into the forest, the Vulcans kept close together as Mestral guided them.

Keeping silent they listened to the sounds of the forest birds chirping, the large trees bristling softly in the wind, and the sound of leaves crunching underneath their feet. The myriad of sounds provided the Vulcans a sense of relief. When the sun finally disappeared behind the clouds, darkness covered the forest and the chirping of the birds ceased. Always uncomfortable with long periods of silence, Mestral spoke, "What will we do when we get there?"

Nearly stumbling over a rotten log, T'Mir regains her balance, "We will survey the city first."

"Before going into the city we should do a brief observation from a distance. Remember, they did emerge from a war and could be under some form of martial law..."

"Yes, I understand," T'Mir interrupted.

Being older, Stronn had to pick up the pace to keep up and as he did so, he lost his footing and plummeted down a steep incline.

"Stronn!" T'Mir called after the fallen Vulcan.

Mestral's eyes vigilantly examine the area in search of Stronn.

Moments later, a flicker of fame catches a glimpse of Stronn's body lying at the bottom of the incline.

"I see him." Mestral handed T'Mir the torch as he carefully maneuvered down the hill.

Laying perch between two rocks, Stronn's body gave no signs of life and both Mestral and T'Mir believed their crewmate was dead.

"Stronn are you alright? Stronn," Mestral leaned in closer to the injured Vulcan.

Suddenly, Stronn moans and lifts up his head.

Thankfully, he is alive, but the fall comes with a heavy price, his right leg is broken and hemorrhages a small river of green blood.

Noticing how badly injured is he is, Stronn quickly offers a solution, "The two of you must go into the city. It's logical to leave me here."

Mestral says nothing and looks at T'Mir who by now has made her way down the incline.

All three understood the logic in leaving behind Stronn; he would slow them down and even attract unwanted attention from the humans.

However, logic only provided so much clarity to a situation.

No doubt leaving Stronn behind ensured he would die a slow and painful death.

In this moment, T'Mir found herself facing a difficult decision, leave Stronn behind or take him and risk possible detection?

_Contamination, _Tolarius instructed T'Mir to avoid it at all cost.

_Contamination,_ T'Mir understood the importance of such a concept. Nearly every aspect of species (pre-warp or not) interaction was govern by it and in the past, Vulcan commanders who found themselves in similar predicaments were force to make hard decisions.

So what would she do?

Did logic demand leaving a Vulcan to die alone in agony?

_What would Tolarius do?_

So deep in thought, T'Mir didn't notice Mestral had already made up his mind; he would not leave Stronn to die on alien world.

Using a dagger he always carried with him, a gift from his father, Mestral cut branches off a nearby tree to prepare a cast.

"T'Mir, I need you to bind his leg to stop the bleeding. Use your undershirt as a bandage," Mestral ordered, "I will make a cast to keep his leg immobilized."

T'Mir hesitated, "We can't take him with us. He will slow us down."

Mestral could feel his agitation give way to anger, he took several deep breaths before responding, "We can bind his leg. Death is illogical when it can be avoided."

"Our risk for detection will increase if he with us. Tolarius ordered me to prevent contamination at all costs," T'Mir said.

Stronn said nothing. He focused his energies on suppressing the pain through silent mediation.

"Tolarius is dead, "Mestral countered.

"I am aware of that," T'Mir answered.

"I am not going to leave a man here to die just because of your 'fear' of contamination," Mestral no longer cared about the sharp inflection in his voice.

"The needs of many are more important than the needs of few," T'Mir retorted using the famous saying of Surak, the father of Vulcan logic.

With the inflection in his voice now more noticeable, Mestral countered, "With all due respect, Surak isn't here either, and Stronn's needs are the same as ours."

"Mestral, you are allowing your emotions to override reason," T'Mir could sense her own emotions dangerously coming close to the surface.

Mestral stepped back, took off his top shirt, leaned over Stronn, and began binding his leg.

Stronn said nothing as he kept his eyes down to avoid T'Mir's.

After a few minutes, Mestral, sure he had bind the leg tight enough to stop the bleeding, stood up, "Logic is important, I know this, but logic should never override…..our…..compassion."

The mouths of the two other Vulcans dropped, only slightly, but as Vulcans it was noticeable expression.

"Compassion is an emotional response," T'Mir found the words hard to say.

Mestral nodded his head, "If we are to survive we can't just depend on logic alone. Now, help me make a cast for his leg."

(Two Hours Later)

The accident set back the Vulcans plans to enter the city at night and now dawn was fast approaching.

Stronn had to be supported by both Mestral and T'Mir as they trek through the forest.

With promise of sunlight returning, the birds resumed their cheerful chirping, secretly reassuring the Vulcans.

Mestral had no regrets about his actions, T'Mir was wrong, he knew it, and she knew it.

A sense of dread threatened to overwhelm T'Mir; Mestral was defiant and highly emotional (for a Vulcan) and made it clear he did not intend to blindly follow her orders.

Reporting his actions to the High Command seemed tempting at first, however, T'Mir upon further analysis dismissed the idea. Mestral's own family members sat on the High Command and reporting him would make it harder for her.

This fact along with the strain of carrying Stronn combined with hunger, exhaustion, and stress began to wear on her emotions.

Emotions triggered by Mestral's increasing insubordination and the pressure she faced as commander.

Did the fact he came from a noble family made Mestral more hesitant to obey her orders?

She shook her head.

Stronn's body was heavy.

She was hungry.

She needed to sleep.

And for whatever reason she found herself obsessing over preventing contamination.

Was it Mestral or her?

"_Must regain emotional control," _She thought to herself.

They stopped.

Mestral pointed towards the distance, "The city."

Laying Stronn down on a nearby rock, T'Mir caught her breath.

"The sun will rise in just a few hours. We need to get into the city."

Stronn looked at his leg, green blood soaked through the bandages.

"We must change my bandages first," Stronn pointed at his leg. "You can hide me in an abandon building as you survey the city."

T'Mir took off an undershirt and began ripping it into long strips.

She removed the old bandages and replaced them.

The Vulcans were tired.

"Carbon Creek," Mestral spoke unexpectedly.

"What?" T'Mir asked.

"The name of the city is Carbon Creek," Mestral answered pointing to the tall building in the distance with the name of the city scrawled across it.

"Fascinating," Stronn responded as T'Mir finished binding his leg.

**AN: I hope you like so far. If you like the story, please submit payment in form of a review! Thanks. **


	4. Welcome to Carbon Creek

**AN: I plan on mixing a bit of humor in the Vulcan's adventures with the humans, but it will be a darker story than the one presented on the show. **

**Welcome to Carbon Creek**

Finding shelter turned out not to be as difficult as the Vulcans thought as old abandon buildings lined the edge of the city near the forest.

Littered with trash, rat feces, and roaches the building was disgusting and Mestral found him trying not to vomit.

However, they needed shelter and the building provided it.

T'Mir collected the trash, placed it in an old barrel, and started a fire as Mestral helped Stronn lay on a small makeshift seat.

Dirty, tired, hungry, and anxious, each of them just wanted the nightmare to be over.

T'Mir wanted to mediate, but in vain as hunger prevented concentration.

"The humans must be in the interior of the city," Mestral finished rebinding Stronn's leg.

Agitated, T'Mir began pacing, "This building appears to have been a factory of some kind."

"We need to come up with a story, a believable one as to why and how we got here," Mestral said.

Both T'Mir and Stronn agreed.

"Me and T'Mir are siblings whose vehicle broke down a few miles outside town," Mestral suggested.

Stronn still in pain caused by the fall interjected, "The part about you and T'Mir being siblings is fine. Just leave out the part about the vehicle; humans are very meddlesome creatures, the less information they have the better."

"We moved here?" T'Mir asked.

"Yes. If you talk about a broken down vehicle, the humans might want to check out the story," Stronn added, "Keep it simple. You and Mestral are siblings who come from a nearby town."

"And if they ask what town?" Mestral countered.

Stronn shrugged his shoulders, "If they are anything like the Klingons or Ferengi they will do most of the talking."

"We will need to get both food and medical supplies for Stronn," Mestral advised.

"Clothing?" T'Mir asked.

"We will do recon and see if perhaps we can acquire some," Mestral answered.

"I will be fine," Stronn closed his eyes, "I am going to mediate."

T'Mir and Mestral checked Stronn's bandages again before leaving the building.

The two Vulcans walked down a small dirt road and listened to the sounds of a city just starting to wake up.

Staying close to the building, T'Mir spotted in the distance a market square located in the center of the city.

A row of merchants hawked their goods to passing customers.

"I've got fish!" shouted one merchant.

"Apples! Blueberries! Raspberries! All the fruit you'll need is right here!" shouted another.

"Peanuts!" cried another.

Mestral could feel his stomach rumbling.

"Human diets are compatible to our own," Mestral whispered although unnecessarily as there was no one around.

"Medicine? Is that compatible?" T'Mir asked.

"Not sure."

"They are using a form of currency. We need to find a way to obtain this," T'Mir found herself whispering too.

"The city will get busier if we don't act soon…." Mestral stopped, something brushed against his leg.

"What is that?" Mestral asked

"I am not sure," T'Mir answered.

"Sela, get down! Leave those people along!" A woman rushes from around the corner.

Picking up the animal, she looks at Mestral, "Sela is just a puppy. She likes everyone."

Both Mestral and T'Mir said nothing.

The woman is about T'Mir's height, slightly heavier, dark skinned, hair is twisted in thick coils, and her eyes are a deep brown.

A small female child also comes around the corner. She is no more than two or three Earth years and a shade lighter than her mother.

Looking back up at the Vulcans, the woman smile fades into confusion and curiosity, "Who are you?"

Mestral keeps quiet.

T'Mir remembering Stronn's advice speaks, "My name is T'Mir and this is my brother Mestral. We have come to live here."

Perhaps it was the tone of T'Mir's voice or their appearance because the of woman's expression confusion deepens, "You come to Carbon Creek? Why? There isn't much here."

T'Mir swallowed hard; Stronn had one thing about humans correct; they are very inquisitive.

"We needed to leave our home."

"Mommy," the little girl pointed at Mestral, "Dirty."

"Don't be rude!" The woman chided the child.

"Well what city did you come from? Tri Mane?"

"Yes."

The woman laughed, "You left Tri Mane for Carbon Creek?"

"Yes," T'Mir answered.

"Tri Mane is a wealthy city although it's controlled by The Coalition, but even with all the bombings, no one would leave. Why didn't you just go to Titian? "

The Vulcans weren't sure if they should answer or not.

"We prefer the anonymity of Carbon Creek to the other cities," Mestral said taking control of the conversation.

Taking a deep breath the woman placed Sela on the ground

"Carbon Creek is an outliner city for good reason; people come here to escape the violence and hassle of the bigger cities. And while we might not deal with bombings, we all come from somewhere else and almost everyone have skeletons in their closet. I've been living here for several years, so I know everyone. I don't ask questions. None of us do. It's safer that way," the woman pointed her finger at Mestral, "BUT if you come here to start trouble you might as well leave now!"

The threat was not lost on the Vulcans. However, what did she mean about skeletons hiding in closets? How did that make any sense?

Shrugging it off as another example of useless and confusing human metaphor, Mestral spoke, "We don't want trouble, only food and medicine."

The woman touched Mestral's dirty clothing "Is this how the people in Tri Mane dress? Did you trek all the way here? It must have taken days."

Mestral said nothing.

"Sorry, I forgot our rules here at Carbon Creek. We don't ask many questions. Your business is your own," the woman smiled, "Where are my manners? My name is Davina and this little rascal is my princess Nell. Of course, you met Sela."

"Nice to meet you," greeted Mestral.

"First, let's get you some clothes and food. You two look like hell," Davina turned picking up Sela and grabs Nell's hand.

Mestral and T'Mir followed her, surprised and confused at how fast everything changed.

Davina took them to her place of business, a general store and began helping the Vulcans by feeding them and providing clean clothes.

(Three Hours Later)

"I thought the merchants supply the food here," Mestral asked. He noticed the attention he was getting from little Nell and her puppy Sela. They kept following him everywhere he went.

Davina opened a small brown bag putting cans of food and other supplies, "Yes, I have the only store in town. It's Sunday so I am closed, but everyone in Carbon Creek comes here. The merchants come only a few times a year to sell their harvests."

T'Mir found it hard to engage in conversation, Mestral seemed willing to talk more than she was.

"Those merchants are crooks!" Davina spat, "They come in from the rural areas just outside of Ember and overcharge us for their food."

Nell moved in and poked Mestral in the back. When he turned around she giggled and ran off.

"Stop Nell!" Davina shouted, "Leave the man alone!"

Davina continued her ranting, "When I first came to Carbon Creek, there was no store here, and needing to provide for myself, I opened one. The merchants don't like me. Though people here trust me and know I offer good service at a fair price. But the merchants do sell things I can't, like fresh fruit."

"I've noticed the customers," Mestral said.

"Yeah, well after the war, The Coalition began to ration foods. For those of us who can remember, fresh fruit and other goods like meat use to be in such abundance. We thought things would never change until they did."

She trailed off.

Mestral could detect sadness in her voice.

Handing Mestral the brown bag Davina perked up, "I put in cans of vegetables, chili, fruit, and pasta. Right now it's the best I can do until next week when a new shipment arrives."

Mestral jerked, Nell was back poking him again.

"Don't mind her; Nell doesn't get to see many new people. She and Sela are all the family I have. I keep them very close." Davina picked Nell up, kissed her cheeks and turned to the two Vulcans. "I am sure you are staying in those abandon buildings, but if you don't want to arouse suspicion you should make a plan to move into a small apartment."

"Does having an apartment require currency?" T'Mir asked.

"Everything requires currency. I own this building which includes my apartment above as well as the apartment in the back. No one lived there since Old Sam died, so if you find jobs, you are more than welcome to rent from me."

"And where are these jobs?" Mestral asked.

Davina appeared puzzled and then said, "Well, I know Omar is hiring, he needs someone to work on the pipes and plumping. Old Sam held that job for years until he died. And Logan needs someone to work at his restaurant. Carbon Creek is small and the work doesn't pay much, but it will keep a roof over your head and food on the table. These days if you have that, you are royalty."

Mestral nearly forgot about Stronn, "Do you have any medical supplies?"

Davina shook her head, "Medicine is expensive and must be ration out. I don't sell it here, only the twins Roy and Melvina do, and they are difficult to deal with. All I have is some disinfectant cream and bandages which I have to share with my own family."

With Stronn's injury in the back of his mind, Mestral pleaded, "Anything you can spare would be appreciated."

Taking a deep breath, Davina chuckled, "I can spare a little."

(Later That Night)

Mestral and T'Mir found themselves pleased their first day in the city had gone so well. What could have turned into a nightmare ended up becoming a dream come true.

Davina, treated them well, asked no questions and provided food and medication.

Still, T'Mir was cautious, "We must not let this woman get too close."

Mestral nodded his head, "Right."

"There is more going on here than we previously realized and I wish I understood what she meant by skeletons in closets."

"I believe she is saying everyone here has secrets."

"So if you have a dark secret you come and live in Carbon Creek?" T'Mir said, "Why here?"

Mestral carrying the bag Davina gave him which included hygienic products and fresh clothing for Stronn answered, "It's logical. Carbon Creek is a smaller city and isolated. Perhaps people come here for a fresh start. I prefer their philosophy of not asking questions."

Coming to the building where they were staying, T'Mir added, "Me too, however, we must be careful not get involved in whatever is going on."

"Agreed."

Stronn woke up when the two entered the building, "Success?"

Holding up the bag, Mestral responded, "Yes, indeed."

"We have brought both food and medical supplies," T'Mir added.

Mestral reached into the bag for the medicine to attend to Stronn's leg.

"Now what are we going to do next?" Stronn asked.

T'Mir and Mestral exchanged glances.

"Get a job," Mestral answered.

**An: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I am aiming to post at least one or twice a week. **


	5. A New Life

**AN: Enjoy? Let me know! **

**A New Life**

(One Month Later)

The Vulcans settled into their new lives successfully without raising suspicious, in fact, most of the humans treated them well. Davina proved to be a great resource when it came to adjusting to their new lives.

Mestral got a job as a cook at Pappy's Grill, Logan's restaurant the only one in Carbon Creek.

For a Vulcan from a noble family, Mestral's job as a cook was not without a sense of irony.

However, Mestral got the better end of the deal; Pappy's Grill was the social center of Carbon Creek allowing Mestral to observe human behavior. The same could not be said for T'Mir.

T'Mir's guarded manner rubbed people the wrong way, to them; she came off as arrogant, standoffish, and rude.

Her attitude even prevented her from obtaining a waitressing job, at Pappy's Grill after clashing with Logan.

However, Mestral needed T'Mir to bring in income to support their 'family' (they had convinced Davina and the others Stronn was their father) managed to use his growing friendship with Davina to obtain T'Mir's employment at Davina's store as a clerk.

The pay was low, but it helped and Davina was kind enough to offset the meager wages by lowering the rent.

So far, Mestral pulled ahead and became the new leader of the group.

Stronn for the first few weeks, stayed at home, kept house, and did 'research' by reading old newspaper clippings as he healed.

But needing an income to starve off the costs of rent and food, Mestral asked Stronn to take up employment as a plumber.

Stronn despite now having a limp due to the improper healing his leg took the job.

Soon the Vulcans develop a routine.

They ate breakfast prepared by Mestral in morning.

They washed.

They dressed.

They went to work.

T'Mir worked until close at the store, cleaning, stocking shelves, and sometimes depending if Davina was busy she even cared for Nell. A task the Vulcan was ill-suited for.

Nell sensing T'Mir's uneasiness caused trouble. She cried, she fuss, she laughed, she behaved, and she disobeyed. At Nell's age, a Vulcan child was already well on his way towards mastering his emotions.

She hated it.

Stronn went to people's homes for his job and like Mestral, got to know the residents who always asked him about his children.

He still couldn't believe Mestral introduced him as his and T'Mir's father.

Was he that old?

He dismissed the thought.

After all, he was only _eighty-nine_ years old.

After work, Stronn went to Pappy's Grill for the human delicacy known as a milkshake.

Initially, they tried chocolate cake, but the properties contained in it made them fall ill.

Not sure what caused such an illness, T'Mir had them sample a chocolate candy bar she brought just to be certain.

The results were the same.

No chocolate for them.

Stronn's daily trips to Pappy's Grill ceased once he became the unwilling object of affection by a local and infamous resident, Ms. Stella Powers.

Stella was what the residents called a 'sleazy,' although the Vulcans had no clue as to what it meant.

Finally, Mestral managed to divulge a definition from Davina who thought, like everyone else, Stella's advances towards Stronn were 'cute'.

Davina described her as a 'sexually liberated woman'.

The Vulcans described her as 'emotionally handicap'.

She was also a drunk who often came into Pappy's Grill just to find Stronn.

When she did, Stella threw herself onto him, plant kisses on his face, and even went so far as to pinch his backside.

Startled, confused, embarrassed, and angry, Stronn had no clue as how to deal with Stella and he stopped coming to Pappy's Grill, Stella made phone calls to get Stronn out to her place to 'work' on her broken toilet, faucet, pipes, and whatever else she could think of.

Mestral had it the easiest.

He preferred working at Pappy's Grill. He also liked being in the company of Davina who had proven to be a useful asset during their stay on the alien world.

Often during his lunch breaks or when the restaurant was slow, Davina would stop by to chat it up with Logan and Mestral.

They would eat lunch which consisted of cheeseburgers, fries and malts, a meal Mestral found himself liking a lot.

While on Vulcan eating meat is considered taboo, on Earth, not eating meat was taboo. Nearly every culture he studied consumed meat and he found that by doing so he could increase his energy and managed his emotions among these strange, but interesting creatures.

During their meals, Davina talked about her family, but when pressed by Mestral into talking more about The Coalition she like the others hesitated.

Even with all their intelligence, The High Command never fully knew what happen to cause the war only the aftermath, a world left in ruins.

Davina carefully dodged around some parts, but from what Mestral could gather, the origins of the war were unclear.

"So they don't know who started the war?" T'Mir asked.

The Vulcans were home after another day of work.

"No. She was just a child when it happened, but she talked about the superpowers fighting over a shortage of natural resources."

"The humans did cause significant damage to their environment," added T'Mir.

"What else did she say," Asked Stonn.

Mestral shook his head, "All I know is these superpowers are no longer around, and all that remains what is known as The Coalition."

"_The Coalition after the war, fed the people, provided shelter, medicine and hope, but soon their true intentions became clear. They wanted control and killed anyone who got in the way," _Davina's words echoed in Mestral's mind.

The Coalition controlled everything from their headquarters in Tri Mane, now the wealthiest and most powerful city in world.

Wearing her rode, T'Mir made tea for herself and the others, "I hope we are able to leave this world before…"

"Before what?"

"Nell drives me insane."

Mestral's and Stronn's lips curved only slightly, T'Mir made an attempt at humor.

"Or before Stella attacks Stronn again," Mestral added.

Again the lips of the three Vulcans curved slightly.

"Tomorrow is Sunday so the store is closed," T'Mir mentioned, "I think I will get some work done."

"Monitoring the communicator for a signal isn't going to make The High Command come any faster. We don't have any guarantee they even received it," Stronn remarked.

"Just because you have given up doesn't mean I have."Mestral finished washing the dishes, "Why don't you come with us to the baseball game?"

T'Mir preferred to limit interactions with the residents as much as possible.

"It helps us to integrate ourselves within this community," Mestral continued.

Baseball was the major social activity in Carbon Creek and in a town of no more than three hundred people it was a big deal.

Every other Sunday, the residents flocked to the park to watch the teams play.

Mestral having been interested in the sport played on the team earning fans for his speed and wining games.

None suspected anything.

Stronn liked the games too although because his leg and his 'old age' he couldn't play. Instead, he would go with Davina and Nell to watch.

Afterwards, many of the residents flocked to Pappy's Grill for food, music, dancing, and socializing.

The Vulcans avoided dancing, but used this opportunity to study human's recreational activities.

"Give it a chance T'Mir," Mestral pleaded, "The humans already think you look down on them."

"Yes," said Stronn who was laid out on the sofa fixing the radio, "Humans don't like that. It draws unnecessary attention."

"Humans are inferior," T'Mir responded, "But I will come to the game."

"Thank you."

(The Next Day)

On baseball Sundays, all business shut down and everyone filled the bleachers in the park to watch the two teams play.

The cheers of the crowd, the swinging of the ball, and the actions of the players all manifested in a crescendo of excitement simulating the emotions of the Vulcans.

Stronn and T'Mir sat in the stands with Davina and Nell as Sela played with the feet of an annoyed T'Mir.

She hated dogs.

Being so young, Nell couldn't focus on the games for long and kept poking Stronn and holding up her two little fingers to get his attention.

Stronn extended the tips of his fingers and used his telepathy to transmit the emotion of calm to the little girl and Nell sat still for the rest of the game in her mother's lap.

This method was used by Vulcan parents to assist their children as they learned how to control their emotions as well as by bonded Vulcans to express themselves in ways words simply could not.

In fact, Mestral had been the first to use such a thing on Nell when the little girl kept poking him.

At first, T'Mir warned Mestral about using such methods on a non-Vulcan as they feared contamination, but after spending several hours babysitting, T'Mir found herself doing the same thing.

Nell found the experience 'fun' and she often ran around extending her two fingers to the Vulcans.

Several people approached Stronn, congratulating him on 'raising such an athletic son'.

"Wow! Look how fast he's running!" Davina pointed at Mestral who had just run to third base.

T'Mir lips curved slightly, "Like father, like son."

Both she and Stronn placed bets on Mestral winning the game.

The extra money helped and whenever Mestral won, folks would always comment on how great he was and how jealous they were of his natural talent.

Truth was, by Vulcan standards, Mestral was about as weak as they come.

Still, the games provided a great outlet and T'Mir, who by now had enough Sela, picked the animal up, and placed it in her lap.

Could Vulcans transmit calm to an animal?

She would have to try.

Extending her two fingers she touched the top of Sela's head and tried doing the same thing she had done to Nell.

"What are you doing?" Davina asked.

T'Mir opened her eyes, "Just trying to calm Sela."

Davina's face appeared confused and then as usual she laughed, "You are so weird. Touching a dog on the top of her isn't going to do anything."

Stronn noticed Nell slowly starting to move around again, she lifted her head and reached over to poke at his shoulder.

Davina turned to face the game and T'Mir quickly transmitted the feeling of calm to the animal.

To her surprise, it worked, and Sela lay silently on her lap.

The crowd cheered again, Mestral won the game.

His _son _had won the game!

The Vulcans went to Pappy's Grill along with Davina, Nell, and Sela.

The placed was backed as everyone surrounded Mestral and praised the Vulcan for a great game.

T'Mir found herself feeling an unusual emotion.

Jealousy?

No, it couldn't be. Vulcans are incapable of feeling jealousy.

Even so, it wasn't lost on her that since arriving on Earth, Mestral adapted effortlessly into human culture even gaining admiration for his baseball skills.

Even on Earth, Mestral's privilege managed to benefit him.

"Hey cutie!" A woman's voice whispered in Stronn's ear.

It was Stella.

"Hello Ms. Powers, I am here to celebrate with my son," Stronn wanted to run he hated the attention.

"Your son is hot! But not as hot as his daddy!" Stella was drunk and her words slurred.

Confused at how Mestral's body temperature had anything do with the conversation, Stronn was thankful when Davina pulled Stella away from him.

The rest of night went by uneventfully; everyone ate, danced, and drank.

Stronn and T'Mir found themselves sitting at a table with Melvina and her twin Roy who kept arguing. She noticed Mestral preferred the company of Davina and spent as much time as he could with her.

Surely pretending to be human helped Mestral obtain information about human culture, however, Mestral and Davina often had lunch, went for walks and he even stopped by her store to help with shipments.

Just then the doors opened and the restaurant fell silent expect for the sounds of Nell playing with her doll.

In walked, Kaden and his brother Cale.

Davina stood up and walked towards, Kaden and hugged him, "You missed a good game today!"

Kaden smiled as he wrapped his arms around Davina's waist, "Sorry, but I had work at the mines." Despite his smile, Davina could sense he was deeply troubled.

Cale walked towards the counter and was handed a plate of food from Sharon, Logan's wife.

Behind him walked two more men, Saren and Lee who followed Cale's example.

Each of the four men stood around six feet tall, had a strong built and was of varying shades. Kaden and his brother Cale, was pale with long brown hair, while Saren was dark-skinned like Davina and Lee was pale but with slanted eyes and black hair.

Despite their intimidating and commanding presence, the townspeople respected them and surprisingly the men did the same.

Kaden ran the town and he used his contacts in Tri Mane and the mines to Carbon Creek's advantage. With the mines providing valuable minerals and fuel in the form of coal to Tri Mane, The Coalition kept their distance, which for a town full people with secrets was vital.

Kaden felt threaten by Mestral's growing friendship with Davina. A woman he had been courting for nearly a year and made it clear he didn't want the Vulcan around Davina.

However, Saren and Lee was more relaxed and seemed to enjoy Mestral's company with Kai often asking him if his sister, T'Mir was available.

"Is everything okay Kaden?" Logan, an older man and a well respected one, asked.

Kaden nodded his head, "Everything is fine. We just finished delivering another shipment to Tri Mane."

Logan chuckled, "That's two shipments in one month."

"Those bastards are greedy! They don't care if we go cold during the winter!" Sharon spat.

Logan tugged his wife's arm, "I wouldn't worry about it. Kaden and his friends will provide."

Davina hugged Kaden tighter and Kaden rose up his arm, "Let's continue to celebrate!"

The crowd cheered and the festivities went on into the mere hours of the morning.

(Dawn)

The humans came out of Pappy's Grill looking like the zombie creatures, the Vulcans seen in the movies, they were tired, and their eyes were blood shoot.

However, everyone was happy.

"Goodnight Mestral! T'Mir! Stronn!" Davina called after them. She carried a sleeping Sela as Kaden held Nell over his shoulders.

"Goodnight!" The Vulcans shouted back.

"Oh, T'Mir don't worry about coming in so early today, I need to sleep off this hangover!" Davina smiled drearily and followed Kaden to his home for the night.

The Vulcans on the other had never drink nor did they require as much sleep as the humans. They would go home and catch up on some of hobbies they picked up.

For Stronn it was his growing collection of ships.

For T'Mir it was reading poetry.

And for Mestral, it was his photography collection.

Davina had introduced it to him.

For a few hours, Carbon Creek remained silent; frozen in a perfect moment and each of the Vulcans had fleeting thought.

Would it be so bad if they had to live out the rest of their lives here?

**An: I hope you like it. I based the Nell character off my niece. She loves to poke people! **


	6. Kaden

**An: I noticed more people are not only reading the story but also, adding it their favorites, following and reviewing! Thanks so much!**

**Kaden**

(Two Weeks Later)

A storm was coming to Carbon Creek.

For months, Kaden did everything he could to solve the problem and when he couldn't, managed to hide the problem from the others, but it was only a matter of time.

In a matter of months, the mines, the town's main source of income and protection will be completely depleted and The Coalition will undoubtedly send soldiers and destroy Carbon Creek.

Kaden like everyone else came to Carbon Creek to escape the past.

After the fall of Haven, Carbon Creek became one of the last remaining outliner cities.

Kaden could never forget the fall of Haven, the place of his birth.

As soldiers, Kaden followed orders and never questioned anything.

But when the order came down to destroy Haven, he found himself in an impossible situation.

His family still lived in Haven. Sadly, this did not matter to The Coalition who expected Kaden as the leader to execute the captured rebels and destroyed the city for hiding them.

He did what he was told.

He executed the rebels and destroyed the city.

Shortly, thereafter, overcome with guilt and disillusioned, Kaden and his brother deflected. Kaden using his contacts he built over the years, managed to assist the surviving rebels by supplying them with weapons and expanding their base.

In just a few short years, the rebels came back stronger than ever resulting in mass terrorist bombings, kidnapping and murders of high ranking Coalition members and their families.

To make amends, Kaden used his skills as a general and became the leader of Carbon Creek.

Because of his exploitive use of the mines, he convinced those in power to turn a blind eye towards the ex-cons, deflected soldiers, criminals and everyone else who made up the city's residents.

Over the years, Kaden came to see Carbon Creek as his home and he sought to protect her in a way he couldn't do for Haven.

He would have to find a way to extract more from the mines to give the city a chance.

The sound of the door opening promoted Kaden to get out bed and go the front door; Cale stumbled inside with his shirt unbuttoned.

"Wow! That Stella is a tigress," Cale laughed drunkenly as crashed on the sofa.

Lifting Cale's leg, Kaden joked, "I thought Stella had eyes only for Stronn."

Cale laughed, "No, that woman has eyes for any man who gives her attention."

Kaden's eyes suddenly darken, "Cale, we need to talk."

Lowering his head, Cale responded, "Yes, I know."

Standing over his brother, Kaden's voice became deep and serious, "Each month The Coalition wants more and more and we keep giving it to them. But we can't continue. The mines will be depleted in a matter of months. And then what?"

"Leave."

"And go where? Carbon Creek is our home. Are we to let Carbon Creek fall like Haven?"

"Haven was different Kaden and you know I don't want to talk about Haven."

"No, Haven was our home, the same as Carbon Creek and we destroyed it simply because we followed orders. How do you think history is going to judge us, our actions?"

Cale leaned back on the sofa, Kaden's self-righteous rhetoric added to his hangover pains, "What do you want me to say? You talk about Haven as if it was your fault. You followed orders. I deserted because of you, I became a fugitive because of you, I followed my big brother, and where did it lead me? I am an exile!"

"Are you blaming me? We made a choice!"

Cale attempted to stand, but his hangover made his head feel as if it weighed thirty tons, "No, you made the choice and dragged me into it. I had good life with The Coalition, I could have advanced myself become a general! When you deflected, Kaden, you never stopped to think about me! You selfish bastard!"

Kaden felt anger boiling inside and he stepped back to avoid hitting his brother, "The Coalition made us destroy our home, kill innocent people, and sacrifice our humanity! Standing in the ashes of our birthplace, I made a decision and I don't regret it. No one forced you into anything!"

"What did you think The Coalition would have done to me as the brother of the captain? I am done arguing with you," Cale snapped and leaned back on the sofa.

"We have to think about saving these people," Kaden pleaded.

"You mean Davina and that kid! I don't get why you are in love with her when all she does is spend her free time with Mestral!"

Kaden swallowed his growing anger, "There is nothing going on between Mestral and Davina!"

"Can you be sure? I mean they spend an awful amount of time together," Now Cale was taunting his brother, "I mean what does she see in that guy anyway? His whole family is off."

"The hell do you mean by off?"

"They just seem awkward when it comes to everything as if they never interacted with people before. And they claim they are from Tri-Mane, but I am not so sure."

"Not from Tri Mane?"

Cale sucked his teeth, "People from Tri Mane are mean, vain, selfish, and devoted to The Coalition's cause. Mestral and his family are the complete opposite. Hell, sometimes they seem as if they know nothing about their own city!"

"So what are you implying?"

"That they are NOT from Tri Mane!"

Kaden could feel a lump in this throat and thought it was best to change the subject.

"Mestral and his family are no concern to me, I need to worry about the mines," Kaden went back to his room and left Cale to fall asleep on the sofa.

Pacing back and forth, a single thought ran inside Kaden's mind; _what happens when the mines are depleted? _

Then another thought; _what will happen to Davina and Nell if they are caught? _

For years, Kaden tried to redeem himself by swearing to protect Carbon Creek but more importantly, Davina.

He knew her secret.

He knew why she came to Carbon Creek.

And he feared what could happen if either she or Nell was caught.

If all else fails, he would take Davina and Nell and abandon Carbon Creek to its faith.

* * *

Darkness engulfed Carbon Creek as Davina stood on top of the large hill; of all the places in town, this was her favorite place.

She loved Carbon Creek.

She loved the peace she found.

She loved the people.

She loved her family.

For years, Kaden managed to shield her from the harsh reality of truth, but that night in Pappy's Grill she saw the look of fear, sadness, and shame in Kaden's eyes.

And then she knew it was all coming to an end.

What would she do?

What would any of them do?

Run?

Hide?

She was tired of running. They all were.

Each day The Coalition got stronger, expanded and grew more ruthless.

People, families, and even entire towns disappeared.

The distant snapping of a twig pulled her away from her thoughts; she turned and smiled, "Mestral!"

Mestral walked slowly towards, Davina, "Do you wish to be alone?"

Davina shook her head, "No, please come here."

Mestral stood next to Davina, "I knew you would be here. I checked in on Nell and Sela, they are still sleeping. I asked my father to check on them in a few hours."

"Nell is very fond of Stronn."

"Indeed."

Tears rolled down Davina's cheek, "Mestral, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

Davina stepped back and took a deep breath, "Where do you come from?"

Mestral suppressed a brief but intense moment of fear.

Had someone discovered the ship?

"I know you don't come from Tri Mane. I always knew," Davina continued.

"I thought the policy here was not to ask questions," Mestral responded.

Turing to him Davina eyes flooded with tears, "You should never have come here!"

Mestral touched Davina's shoulder, "What is going on?"

"Kaden….." She cried harder, "The mines won't sustain us for much longer."

"Yes, I figured as much," Mestral added.

"Each month our quota is doubled which at first wasn't a problem, but we can no longer supply The Coalition and ourselves," Davina wiped her face.

"Do they even need these minerals?"

"No, not really, it's a matter of control." "What will happen?"

"They will come and destroy to place just to make an example," Davina punched her fist into the palm of her hand.

Mestral never dealt with human emotions in such a way and he wasn't sure what to do.

"We will need to leave Carbon Creek."

Davina rolled her eyes, "And go where?"

Mestral found himself staring at Davina.

Since their chance encounter, Davina has always been a source of fascination to him.

He tried to dismiss it but standing here, now, in the darkness, he realized it was indeed something more.

But how could he have feelings for a non-Vulcan female?

Over the last few months, Mestral could sense the last of his Vulcan restraints giving way to his emotions. He became more willing unlike T'Mir and Stronn to explore the limits and depths of his emotions.

Now he felt an intense desire to touch Davina's skin, her lips, and all the secret parts of her body.

He wanted Davina in a way he never felt with T'Pena.

As if compelled by a force other than his own, Mestral reached out and touched Davina's cheek.

Startled but amused, Davina touched his hand grazing the tips of his fingers. Breathing hard, she mumbled, "What did I just feel?"

Mestral took her hand and touched her fingertips more firmly, "You felt me, Davina."

A wave of emotion washed over Davina she closed her eyes, "I….feel…you….inside me…."

Mestral moved in closer, he could no longer help himself.

Davina's emotions intertwined with his own creating an ecstasy of lust and passion.

Davina felt Mestral's feelings of love, desire, protectiveness, and jealousy.

However, Mestral's telepathic powers unknowingly penetrated Davina's mind too deeply and her secret spilled out her mind and into Mestral's.

Mestral wanted to pull away but no longer could, Davina's mind pulled him in, and his desire for her consumed him.

They began kissing as hands roamed the landscape of each other's bodies and soon they were laying on the hillside, naked and making love.

And this how Mestral came to know Davina's secret.

* * *

"Tell them what you found in the forest, old man," Kai instructed.

"I found something in the woods…..it's unbelievable…." The old man stammered.

Kaden held up his hand and placed it on the man's shoulder, "Relax. Tell us what you found."

The old man took a deep breath, "I went hunting with my dogs, and they ran ahead of me. When I finally caught up to them, I saw it."

"Saw what!" Asked Cale was growing impatient.

"A ship," the man voice got lower, "Look like a spaceship!"

Kaden, Kai and the other men exchanged looks of concern.

"This man is a drunk!" Saren said, "We don't have time for this!"

Waving his arms the old man pleaded, "Kaden, I am not lying. The ship looked as if it crashed. I know it's not The Coalition, it can't be!"

Kaden stood up, "Can you take me there?"

"Yes," the old man smiled, "I can!"

"Alright, we leave tomorrow, but this stays between us, do you understand!"

The man nodded his head and left when Saren opened the door.

"A spaceship?" Cale asked.

"Don't know, but I want to see it for myself. Might be the answer we are looking for to save Carbon Creek," Kaden lowered his head, "Kai, I want you to find Davina, I need to talk to her."

**An: Cliffhanger! Enjoy? Let me know! **


	7. Exposed

**An: Hope you guys liked the last chapter! I don't about you but I am so looking forward to the new Star Trek movie.**

**Exposed**

Rays of sunlight peaked through the clouds bringing the coming dawn and Mestral was still not home, nor Davina. Stronn had become worried and after checking in on Nell and Sela a dozen times during the night, he brought the child and puppy over to his apartment to care for them.

T'Mir cooked breakfast for the toddler as Stronn fed Sela scraps of meat.

Stronn didn't want to admit he was afraid, afraid something happened to Mestral, but T'Mir knew the truth.

"They are sleeping together," she said bluntly.

Quickly glancing over at Nell, Stronn shook his head in disagreement, "A Vulcan can't possibly be attracted to a human."

Feeding the messy toddler, T'Mir interjected, "This isn't just any Vulcan, this is Mestral we're talking about. Mestral has always had a soft spot for these creatures and I've seen how he is with Davina. He loves her."

"Vulcans aren't capable….."

"Don't!Just don't! You know how defiant Mestral has been since we came here. His nobility…"

Stronn cut T'Mir off, "What does his noble status has to do with anything?"

Shoving the food down Nell's throat, "Everything! Mestral thinks he is better than us. He wants control. He wants to be in control of this mission."

"Our mission ended when we crashed here," Stronn corrected her, "And you are letting your personal feelings for Mestral to influence you. If you ask me, you have an inferiority complex when it comes to Mestral."

Dropping the plate on the table, T'Mir ignored Nell's cries for her food, "I beg your pardon?"

Never looking up from Sela, Stronn spoke in a low voice, "You heard me. Ever since Mestral was assigned to this mission and you learned of his family, there has been tension between the two of you. To be honest, Mestral has done nothing to you nor has he used his family's influence in any way. How quickly you forget."

"Forget what?" T'Mir's asked.

Stronn kept his emotions in check, something which angered T'Mir more, "Mestral saved our lives when he went hunting while you rather us starve, Mestral took it upon himself to go hunting._ And_, Mestral saved my life when you were completely content with leaving me to die in the forest."

He was right, T'Mir knew this, but her pride kept getting the way, "Logic dictates…."

"Logic dictates what?"

They both sat there unable to speak, as they knew their emotions were dangerously close to the surface.

Nell's laughter at putting the plate of food over her head broke the tension.

Turing her attention to the child, T'Mir moaned as she saw the mess, "You will need a bath."

Standing up, Stronn walked towards the door, "I am going to look for Mestral. Take care of Nell and Sela."

Before T'Mir could object, Stronn walked out and slammed the door.

* * *

Stronn came outside and began walking towards Pappy's Grill to ask Logan about Mestral's whereabouts when he heard a small noise coming from the back of the building.

Slowly making his way towards the noise, Stronn stopped and his eyes widen.

Davina was pressed against the wall being kissed passionately by Mestral whose hands roamed the curves of her body.

"Davina," Mestral moaned in her ear, "Davina."

A tear rolled down Davina's eyes, "Mestral, remember your promise. Please don't let anything happen to Nell or Sela. Please." Davina pleaded in between kisses.

"Mestral!" Stronn yelled no longer caring about the strong inflection in his voice.

Pulling away in an attempt to 'hide' what just happen, Mestral looked up at his 'father', "Father, I…"

Davina pulled her shirt down and walked passed Stronn without saying anything.

Stronn called after her, "Nell and Sela are in our apartment."

Davina still nothing and made her way into the building.

The two Vulcan males stared at each other.

"Stronn…I know what this looks like…"

"So do I. It looks like a Vulcan male having sexual relations with a human female. That is what it looks like to me."

Mestral took a deep breath.

"Mestral, do you have any idea what you've done? You are young and in your state of passion could have mistakenly bonded with Davina," Stronn's voice deepened, "Our knowledge of human biology is limited…you could have…."

"No! That won't happen."

"Can you guarantee that?" Stronn asked.

* * *

"Thank you for taking care of Nell and Sela," Davina rushed past T'Mir and picked up Nell.

T'Mir initially startled by Davina's appearance found herself becoming angry with the woman.

"Davina, this can't happen," T'Mir said.

Confused Davina asked, "What?"

"You and my brother."

Davina rolled her eyes, "Please don't…don't tell me what I need to do!"

T'Mir pressed on, "We came here for life of peace."

"Well wherever you came from you sure as hell didn't come from Tri Mane!" Davina shouted, "I am not here to make life harder for you. You don't know anything about me!"

Cocking her head back in awkward position, T'Mir stammered, "You know where we come from?"

Davina sensing T'Mir's anger and worried for her safety put Nell down, "I always knew you and your family didn't come from Tri Mane. Like I told you when you first came, we don't ask about a person's past so long as it doesn't pose a threat to Carbon Creek."

T'Mir's heart started racing, the adrenaline made it harder to think straight, and she could feel the emotional control slipping away.

Her vision became blurry, her heart felt as though it would burst from her chest and she couldn't breathe.

"He told you about Vulcan!" T'Mir hissed as she moved in closer to Davina.

"Vulcan?" Davina asked as she put Nell and Sela behind her as T'Mir edged in closer.

Stronn and Mestral walked back into the apartment.

Mestral jumped in T'Mir's path, "Leave Davina alone!"

T'Mir did nothing to suppress her growl, "You told her everything did you?"

Before Mestral could say anything, T'Mir threw herself at him and wrapped her hands around his throat. Davina screamed, "Stop!"

"You doomed us all!" T'Mir hissed.

Mestral didn't want to hurt T'Mir, but in her rage she proved too dangerous and she was slowly choking him to death. Stronn knew he had to do something and he reached up and pinched T'Mir on the neck.

T'Mir collapsed to the floor.

Davina startled at the turn of events turned to Mestral and asked, "What is the hell is Vulcan?"

A cold chill came over the room, Stronn, Mestral, and Davina turned towards the door to see Kaden and his brother standing there.

Kaden came into apartment, "What the hell is going on?"

No one said anything.

"T'Mir?" Cale asked, "Is she dead?"

"No, she isn't dead."

Kaden turned his attention towards Davina, "Where were you?"

Davina said nothing.

Cale started laughing, "She was with Mestral!"

"Shut up, Cale!" Davina shouted.

Davina glanced over at Mestral something Kaden noticed but chose to ignore.

"I have too much going on to worry about your relationship with this man," Kaden said, "I need to talk to you!"

Davina picked up Nell and Sela and followed Kaden to her apartment.

Cale stayed for a brief moment and turning to Mestral he said, "If I were you I would leave Carbon Creek."

"Why?"

Cale's stoic expression hid his fears, "The mines are depleted. We thought that perhaps we could stretch it out for a few more months but….." Cale's voiced trailed away, "We can't."

"So what happens now?"

"We found something in the forest, a ship of some kind and Kaden hopes to use it in our efforts against The Coalition," Cale lowered his voice, "I am only telling you this because…."

Cale hesitated.

"Kaden and the others are growing more suspicious of you and your family. Your story about coming from Tri Mane never did make any sense but the only reason we left it along is because Davina liked you. She trusts you."

Mestral and Stronn said nothing as Cale went on.

"I don't know who or what you are and I don't care. All I care about is saving Carbon Creek and being with my brother. If Carbon Creek falls we don't have anywhere else to go and I can't let that happen."

"So Kaden is willing to serve us up to The Coalition?" Mestral asked.

"My brother is a good man, but he is a man who is haunted by past. The fall of Haven shames him and it influences nearly every decision he makes regarding Carbon Creek. He also thinks of Davina and wants to protect her."

"He loves Davina?" Stronn asked.

Mestral started to feel uncomfortable as he knew Davina's secret and given their night spent together didn't want to talk about her.

"Kaden's loyalty to Davina goes well beyond love," Cale explained.

"I know Davina's secret and why Kaden is so protective of her, "Mestral interjected.

Cale smirked grew spread wider across his face, "Of course you do."

Without saying anything else, he left.

"They found the ship!" T'Mir blurted out as she struggled to stand.

"Are you alright?" Stronn asked.

"No," she answered bluntly, "I am not _alright_. We have been compromised."

"Compromise doesn't being to explain our problems if the humans suspect anything they will destroy us or hand us over to The Coalition," Stronn added.

"No we haven't been compromised," Mestral corrected them, "Davina and the others don't know anything!"

T'Mir sucked her teeth, "What is with you and this woman?"

Stronn agreed, "Why is Davina so important?"

Mestral hesitated.

"If they learn of the ship then they will eventually learn about us, the truth," T'Mir went on, "So we lied about being from this city, Tri Mane, but if they discover the truth…."All three stood silent.

"Davina," Mestral hesitated, "I care about Davina a great deal, and yes, I spent the night with her and by accident….I…."

Stronn tilted his head, "By accident you did what?"

"I mind meld with her and learned her secret," Mestral took a deep breath.

The eyes of both Vulcans widen, "You are capable of mind melding?"

Mind melding was a secret shame on Vulcan and those who had the ability often found themselves ostracized from society, but Mestral was of high birth and such a secret could shame his entire family.

"Davina is a genetically engineered human," Mestral said.

"How did they manage to do that?" asked Stronn.

Mestral face suddenly became stoic, "They combined it with alien DNA."

T'Mir who by now was sitting down stood up, "Impossible! Humans have had no contact with…."

"And yet, she and others have it," Mestral interrupted.

"There are more?" T'Mir asked.

"Yes, Davina is one of the 'Missing Twenty', twenty genetically engineered humans whose DNA was combined with the alien DNA but their biological parents are high-ranking members of The Coalition."

"How did this happen?" T'Mir in shock asked.

"How could we not have noticed?" Stronn asked.

"Davina herself is only vaguely aware of what she is and I don't know which alien species her DNA was combined with, but apparently, the humans have been experimenting with this technology before the war," Mestral added, "I think it's what caused the war.

Mestral briefly thought back to their time in the woods and the irony of T'Mir's policy of non-contamination. The truth was that the humans had been contaminated for some time; after all, Earth had been visited in the past by aliens long before Vulcans even learned to walk upright.

But this discovery meant that humans had been _aware _of alien life even if they did not directly interact with an alien species.

"Why did they do this?"

"It was thought by combining human and alien DNA, it would create super soldiers to fight for The Coalition, but things didn't go as planned. The DNA proved unstable and many of the humans inflected with it became violent, psychotic and difficult to control, they destroyed everything and in the end, The Coalition decided to do away with them. All that remained were the twenty embryos which were kept in cold storage."

"And just how did Davina become Davina?"

"The Coalition wanted to try again, and re-enhanced the DNA to make these humans more docile and less aggressive. They were implanted in women who served as guinea pigs and once they given birth they were killed and the children kept in what they called the 'nursery." Mestral said, "Fifteen years later, The Coalition fearing another rebellion ordered the termination of the twenty, but they escape with the help of a scientist who had come to care for them."

Mestral lowered his head, "Kaden's father was the scientist who helped Davina, and the others escape. Once The Coalition learned of this he was killed and Haven was destroyed."

Stronn asked, "What of Nell? Is she….."

"Nell is the offspring of one of the Missing Twenty, who died shortly after giving birth. It was thought these enhanced humans were incapable of reproduction. Davina adopted Nell." Mestral leaned back on the couch, "Davina is one of the last Missing Twenty many of the others have been hunted down and killed."

The Vulcans couldn't believe it and yet deep down inside they knew it to be true.

"What are we going to do?" Stronn asked.

"The High Command, we need to inform The High Command," T'Mir mumbled to herself.

"We need to help these humans," Mestral stood up. "If we can't protect Carbon Creek then we need to find a way to get these humans to a safer location."

"Saving these humans is the last thing we need to worry about," T'Mir said, "I am interested to know which species came to earth and left their DNA and why?"

"You can't be serious?"

"I am."

"T'Mir, The Coalition is going to kill these people and perhaps take Davina and Nell. Who knows what will become of them if that happens," Mestral said.

"Mestral is right. I don't want anything happening to Nell," Stronn added. He hated to admit it but he was fond of the toddler and her puppy, Sela.

T'Mir started to open her mouth when the beeping sound came from the communication receiver they hidden in the cabinet.

A cold chill ran up the spines of all three.

Walking slowly towards the cabinet, T'Mir picked up the receiver.

Holding it firmly in her grip, she pressed the button.

"_This is the Kurana responding to the distress call of the Koval." _

"_Please respond." _

"This is T'Mir of the Koval. We thought no one had gotten our call."

"_We apologize, but we only received the distress call two days ago when it was forwarded to us by a Tellarite freighter. We will arrive in four days." _

"Understood."

T'Mir lowered her head secretly pleased, "This is not our problem. We have only four days before we no longer have to deal with these humans. We must lay low until then"

Stronn and Mestral exchanged glances of confusion, how could they possibly help the humans before they leave?

As for Mestral, the questions were deeper, what were the consequences of leaving? What would become of Carbon Creek? Davina?

What would be the consequences of returning to Vulcan? After all, he made love to Davina, he cared for her, and his crewmates now knew of his mind melding ability.

Mestral could speak for Stronn but deep inside he trusted him. Stronn would not use such secrets to advance himself back at home; however, T'Mir was another story.

T'Mir disliked him at least that much had always been clear.

Despite having saved her life, T'Mir would try to use his actions here as a means to advance herself either directly or indirectly.

So he had a choice to make.

They all did.

**An: I hope you like it. It took a while to hammer out the details and I am not sure what will happen. Guess that's the fun of writing! **


	8. The Coalition

**An: Just two more chapters left! **

**The Coalition **

(One Day Later)

"Saren contacted us yesterday," Kaden said. "The Coalition is sending their soldiers to destroy the city."

Davina lowered her head, "There isn't anything we can do?"

Nell sat on the ground playing with Sela.

"No," Kaden moaned.

"What of Carbon Creek?" Davina asked unnecessarily.

"I have Lee and Cale assisting with the evacuation," Kaden said ignoring Davina's question, "The forest offers the best chances of escape, but many are trying for other cities, like Ember."

Davina laughed mockingly, "You know as well as I how desperate any of them would have to be to flee to Ember. By now that city is probably under complete Coalition control."

Kaden leaned over and patted Nell on her head; the child smiled and continued playing.

"I failed just as I did when Haven was destroyed. But right now, I can't worry about the others, we can't save them," Kaden spoke.

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's be honest, The Coalition is going to destroy Carbon Creek, but my main concern is getting you and Nell out of here. Let the soldiers occupy themselves going after those fleeing to other cities as it will give us chance to flee to the mountains," Kaden said.

Davina's eyes widen, "You are abandoning these people for me? I can't let you do that!"

Kaden moved in closer to Davina and took her by the hands, "Several of the 'Missing Twenty' have been captured, and god only knows what has happen to them. The Coalition wants you because of what you are; they fear you and I won't let that happen."

"Why?"

"You represent the future, Davina, both you and Nell. A future which must be protected at all costs."

Davina thought for a second and then she thought of Mestral, "What about Mestral?"

Kaden snorted ruefully, "When we found that ship in the forest, I wanted to use it to save Carbon Creek, but The Coalition has other plans. Mestral and his family are different."

"How so?"

"They didn't come from Tri Mane, that ship belongs to them," Kaden said.

"You know this how?"

Kaden stared at Davina for a long time, "Trust me. I know."

"Whoever or whatever they are they are good people. We can't let The Coalition…."

"Mestral and his family is not our concern," Kaden said, "If The Coalition wants them they can have them."

Davina stood up, "No! I won't let Mestral and his family be taken. Kaden don't let this happen."

"Like I told you, I care about getting you and Nell to safety. Mestral isn't my problem nor is he yours!"

"He is now."

The door to Davina's apartment opened and Lee rushed in.

He was covered with dirt, sweat, and blood.

"Your brother is dead!" Lee collapsed on the ground, "The soldiers have breached the small defenses we set up. By nightfall we will be completely overrun."

Davina gasped, "Cale is dead!"

Tears beaded in the corners of Kaden's eyes, but he wiped them before they could stream down his face, "My brother is dead, but there is nothing I can do."

Turing towards Davina, Kaden said, "We must leave tonight!"

* * *

"Everyone is leaving," T'Mir said as she rushed to pack the rest of her belongings. "I will need to coordinate the pickup location with the Kurana."

A sharp knock on the door made the three Vulcans jumped.

Was it the humans?

The Coalition?

Opening the door, Stronn stepped back as Nell grab for his leg and began poking him.

A smile nearly crept across the old Vulcan's face, "Davina, what are you doing here?"

Davina's eyes searched for Mestral, "Kaden is going to turn you in to The Coalition we have to leave."

"Where is Kaden?"

"He is with Lee helping the residents. He doesn't know I am here," Davina said holding Sela. "Mestral, I don't know what to say. Many of the residents blame you and your family. They say that if you hadn't come none of this would have happen. It's not safe; the soldiers will be here soon."

"To another city?"

Davina shook her head, "No, Kaden thinks it's unwise. We need to go to the mountains."

The distant sounds of guns firing and bombs exploding slowly moved closer and Davina extended her hand towards Mestral.

"I don't care where you are from, Mestral, I care about you. Please come with me," Davina pleaded as Sela licked her cheek.

"And Kaden?" Mestral asked.

Davina remained silent for a few seconds, "Kaden has made his choice, and now I must make mine."

* * *

(A few hours later)

Many residents who couldn't escape in time managed to hide in abandon buildings hoping they would remain undetected.

But the eyes of The Coalition were sharp and leaders ordered their soldiers to burn all the buildings down.

Piercing screams of people emerging in agony over being burned alive as well as the subsequent sounds of gun fire echoed throughout.

Lee and Kaden separated during the chaos with Lee being shot and killed as he attempted to distract soldiers to allow a few residents to escape.

Kaden, in his attempts to locate Davina was captured and kept alive.

Kaden sat on the ground, his left arm was broken during the assault, and he struggled to keep blood from the gash on his forehead from getting into his eye.

His brother, his friends, and his home were all gone.

But what happen to Davina?

After his argument with her about Mestral she left, but he had no time to chase after her. With news of his brother's death and the approaching army, Kaden had to work with Lee to help get others out before the soldiers killed them.

He knew Davina and Nell fled with Mestral to the mountains.

And he knew he would never see her again.

The circle of soldiers surrounding Kaden parted as a man walked towards him, "Kaden," the man said, "I am shock to see you here. I was sure you left with the others."

Looking up Kaden no longer cared about the blood getting into eye, "General Han. What a pleasure!" He mocked.

General Han leaned down to stare Kaden in the face, "You were at one time a most promising solider. You had great potential to even become an admiral, but alas you had too much of your daddy in you."

Kaden smirked, "My father was a great man."

"No," General Han sneered, "Your father was a fool who allowed his personal feelings to get in the way of what had to be done. He freed the twenty augments and in allowing them to escape he made things harder than they needed to be. Just because he was so in love!"

"Love?"

"We designed these augments to be warriors and nothing more and it was thought they couldn't be capable of developing emotional attachments or even reproducing, but your father sure proved us wrong."

Kaden cried out in pain as a solider applied pressure on his broken arm, "What the hell are you talking about?"

General Han wiped his mouth as the screams of a woman were interrupted by a gunshot, "Your father was responsible for suppressing the aggressive and psychotic traits in the augments, but he wanted to see if they were capable of reproduction. He thought he could breed a new subspecies of humans. He became obsess with trying to make it happen."

"My father would never do something like that," Kaden suppressed the pain.

"Your father unable to get approval from the council decided to go ahead with his plan. He mated with an augment, named 'Number Fifteen' and she did become pregnant, but the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage."

"What?"

General Han went on, "He attempted to try again, with another augment named 'Number Twelve' and under her influence he abandoned his plans and freed the twenty augments."

"And then you killed him."

General Han went on, "After the escape, we destroyed Haven, but couldn't find your father until information was leaked to us. We came to find out your father had been living with the Number Twelve augment in another city under a false identity and we discovered he had been successful in reproducing her. She had an infant daughter."

Kaden's eyes wandered. He was confused but something told him he had already knew the truth.

"At the time we didn't know who it was, the person had given us your father's location in exchange for money which we later learned was use to support the rebels living in Tri Mane. I was assigned to find your father and his new 'family', but before I got there the augment had been killed and the daughter missing. But we did find your father and killed him for betraying us."

General Han went on, "If it makes you feel any better, you father never did give up the locations of the others nor did he seem to know what happen to his daughter."

"How long ago was this?" Kaden asked.

"Oh about three years ago," General Han replied. "I know you were told otherwise but your father had been alive all this time. He didn't make contact with you because he couldn't."

"Number Fifteen?"

"Once we learned who the informant was and where the money went, we managed to track her down a few months later, but she disappeared."

Kaden now seethed with anger, from his knowledge the only child he could think of belonging to an augment was Nell.

Davina had betrayed his father and Nell was his half sister!

Kaden never asked who Nell was when Davina returned with the child only saying that the child belong to a friend, a rebel in the fight against The Coalition who had been killed.

"But why?"

General Han shrugged his shoulders, "She might have been in love with your father and became jealous when he turned his attentions to another. Who knows?"

Kaden screamed.

He felt betrayed.

"Where is this augment?" General Han asked.

Kaden remained silent.

"Where are they?"

"The ship we found in the forest," Kaden mumbled, "I think I might know who it belongs to. They recently moved here, his name is Mestral and his family were friendly with Davina, the augment."

"She changed her name?"

Kaden nodded his head, "Yes. They are headed to Ember for protection."

He lied.

Davina had taken Mestral to the mountains to hide in the secret mountain passages he had taught her. Davina was a master of self-preservation and would not allow herself to get caught.

But by lying to the general he not doomed not only himself, but also the others who actually fled to Ember.

"Thank you," General Han said mockingly.

Walking away he pointed to the solider standing over him; the solider pulled out a gun and pointed it at Kaden's head.

Sensing his end, Kaden stared at the back of the General, "You know this is only the beginning. I may die but this revolution will not!"

Pulling the trigger Kaden's lifeless body fell to the ground as General Han walked away.

* * *

(The Mountains)

Davina, Nell, Mestral, T'Mir, Stronn, and even Sela had made it safely to the mountains and now had settled in to the secret caves Kaden had once shown Davina.

Each of them was dirty, tired, and hungry.

Hiking in the mountains for Stronn with his bad leg caused terrible agony, but despite this, he didn't mind when Nell crawled onto this lap as Davina and Mestral attempt to find what they could to eat.

"I found a few berries," Davina came back into the cave with Mestral following behind holding firewood.

Stronn took a few berries and fed them to Nell.

He wouldn't eat unless the child did first.

"We will stay here for at least another day before moving onward," Davina said as she helped Mestral with the firewood.

T'Mir exchanged a glance with Stronn, "And go where?"

Davina shook her head, "Deeper into the forest."

T'Mir looked at both Nell and then Sela, "Nell is just a child and won't survive the journey."

Davina smiled at the sleepy child, "Nell is a strong child. She will be okay."

Mestral started the fire as the group huddled together to stay warm.

"Perhaps you should show some initiative Mestral and go hunting again," Stronn made another of his attempts at humor.

"I guess I should find us another city to live in too while I am at it," Mestral 'joked' back.

"Vulcan. That is where you are from?" Davina interrupted.

The Vulcans exchanged glances and then Mestral answered, "Our home world is name Vulcan and so is our species. We came here to observe humans."

Davina stared at Nell, "Are you leaving?"

"Yes," T'Mir interrupted.

"Take Nell with you. She deserves to grow up in peace," Davina began crying.

"We can't," T'Mir answered.

Nell shifted in Stronn's lap and fell asleep, as did Sela.

Later that night so did Davina.

The Vulcans however did not sleep as they didn't require the large amounts of sleep humans needed and because once again Mestral and T'Mir were at each other's throats.

"Why can't we take them with us!" Mestral demanded.

They stood outside the cave so not to wake the others.

"We can ask for asylum," Stronn suggested, "Mestral isn't asking for you to save the entire race, but we can do something for these people!"

"Contamination isn't even an issue anymore it never was!" Mestral snapped. "T'Mir, please let us help these people. You can go back to Vulcan and report me for disobeying your orders and mind melding. I don't care, but we must help them!"

"The High Command would never allow it," T'Mir said.

"T'Mir don't do this!" Mestral protested.

"You need to accept the fact that Davina, Nell, and even Sela aren't going to survive this! She won't make it through the forest with a small child and a puppy following her. The Coalition is going to find her and…."

"No!" Stronn screamed.

T'Mir held up her hands and Mestral knew it was worthless trying to convince her otherwise.

Stronn became so angry at the thought of Nell dying in the forest, his hands shook and Mestral had to restrain him from becoming violent with T'Mir.

T'Mir went back into cave leaving Mestral and Stronn along.

"Mestral, listen we don't have much time. T'Mir isn't going to help you. The Kurana will be here in another day, but they won't take Davina and Nell. And if they do they might suffer a worst faith than one here."

Mestral cocked his head in confusion, "What are you saying?"

Stronn moved in closer to Mestral, "T'Mir is going to do everything she can to advance herself which includes selling you out and perhaps allowing The High Command to have Davina and Nell just to test them. If it was up to me, I put the three of you on a shuttle, but I can't."

"Stronn?"

"I won't let T'Mir do this! And I don't want Nell to die! Take Davina and Nell and flee! Get as far away as you can!"

Mestral looked back into the cave, "What about T'Mir? And you?"

Stronn lowered his head, "I know you love Davina. When I first came here, I couldn't understand how you could be so interested in these creatures, but I do now. What do you have to look forward to back on Vulcan with T'Mir trying to use every advantage she can just to advance herself?"

Stronn was right. Mestral had nothing back on Vulcan expect for a fiancé he didn't and couldn't love and a life his parents had planned for him.

Davina and her daughter was his family now and he had an obligation to protect them.

Waiting until T'Mir went to sleep Mestral woke Davina up.

"We have to leave now!" He whispered.

Davina rubbed her eyes and picked up Sela, "Why?"

"I don't trust T'Mir. We must go deeper into the mountains," Mestral took Davina by the hands; "I am staying here with you."

They kissed.

Stronn picked up the sleeping toddler and held her for as long as he could.

"Goodbye," he whispered in her ear.

Handing Nell over to Mestral he followed them outside the cave.

"You are a good man," Stronn said to Mestral.

"So are you," Mestral responded in kind.

Holding up the Vulcan greeting Stronn said, "Live Long and Prosper."

Mestral nodded his head as Davina gave Stronn a hug, "Take Care."

A part of Stronn wanted to cry and take Nell into his arms, but he thought of his wife and family back on Vulcan. He needed to be with them.

The small group climbed down the hill and disappeared into the night and Stronn knew he would never see them again.

**An: I know its a bit sad but T'Mir is very untrustworthy and with the last chapter you will learn why. **


	9. Classified

**An: Enjoy! **

**Classified **

(Five Days Later)

_All my life, I have devoted myself to the will of the High Command, shown obedience without question, and never doubted my decision to do so. Like all Vulcans, I believed the High Command existed for the benefit of the people, to serve the people and to protect the people. _

_But after this experience and learning the truth behind it, I can no longer be sure. _

_What was the point of it all? _

_Was I right? _

_Or just brainwash to think I was?_

_Right now, the answers won't come to me and I am struggling with the truth._

_Do I reveal it? _

_Or do I hide it in the dark depths of mind. _

Frustrated, T'Mir abruptly ended writing her journal and crawled out of bed to stare outside her window. Captain Tavek of the Kurana provided both her and Stronn quarters shortly after rescuing them.

Stronn hadn't spoken to her since they both learned the truth and made it clear he never wanted to have anything to with her again.

* * *

(Three days before)

Captain Tavek after rescuing the two Vulcans and needing to discuss what happen invited them both to a private a dinner along with his second in command, T'Rina.

After a few hours of cleaning, resting and settling in, T'Mir and Stronn dressed in basic Vulcan military uniform sat a large table across from the captain.

The food represented the best Vulcan had to offer, but after being on Earth for so long and eating subpar food, neither T'Mir's nor Stronn's stomach could handle it.

So instead they chose not to eat.

"I can understand why you aren't hungry, it must have been a very harrowing ordeal living among such primitive creatures for so long," Captain Tavek waved away the server before preparing to eat his meal.

Stronn shifted in his seat, as did T'Mir.

"We know your captain has died but what happen to your crewmate, Mestral?" T'Rina asked.

T'Mir raised an eyebrow, "Mestral is-

"Dead," Stronn interrupted, "He died from his injuries shortly after the crash."

Captain Tavek lowered his head, "That is unfortunate because his presence on board your ship is why the High Command was so insisted on us coming to save you."

"So what you are saying if Mestral hadn't been aboard on this ship, you would have left us to die on this world?" T'Mir questioned.

Taking a sip of her drink, T'Rina corrected her, "Not not exactly, as important as Mestral is, we would have come to your aid regardless because of the seriousness of your mission."

Stronn and T'Mir both had looks of confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Now it was Captain Tavek's and T'Rina's turns to exchange confused glances.

"You don't know?" Captain Tavek asked.

"Know what?" T'Mir hadn't yet gotten her emotions under control and other two Vulcans could sense it.

"I think I should explain from the beginning so you can understand," Captain Tavek said.

"Please do," said T'Mir.

"Your captain should have informed the crew of the Koval's true mission when you first arrived. It's about the humans and their 'discovery', a discovery that the High Command needed to be taken care of at all costs."

T'Mir's eyes blinked rapidly and then she thought of Mestral discovering Davina's secret, "Initially, I worried about contamination with the humans and ordered we stayed away, but that became impossible with Stronn's injury and our need our provisions destroyed in the crash. After a few days, I decided that in order to survive we needed to integrate ourselves with the humans. We lived among them in a small town named Carbon Creek and we learned something too these humans have long since been contaminated. They had been experimenting with alien DNA and…"

Captain Tavek suddenly appeared agitated and a bit suspicious. "Yes, we are aware of this, but without Tolarius how did you know about the DNA?"

T'Mir didn't want to reveal anything about Mestral, but unable to lie she remained silent.

"You aren't going to say how you came across this information?"

"Just tell me what is going on."

"His name was Turan, a former member of the High Command and the son a powerful noble family. Much like Mestral he was destined to take his place on the council, but sometime during his education at the academy he fell under the influence of those known as V'tosh ka'tur. Under their influence, Turan and several others he managed to sway began to rebel and caused considerable damage."

"Damage?" T'Mir asked.

"Suicide bombings," said Captain Tavek. "Yes, they initially took place in smaller towns and cities, but eventually Turan and his followers made their way to the captain. A few hundred people died. Turan and his followers were caught and were going to face the death penalty, but because of their families influential status other arrangements were made."

"Other arraignments?" Stronn asked.

"Their families were very ashamed and wanted to avoid a scandal so the High Command did what it does best and suppressed any information about the Turan and his rebellion. For their actions, Turan and his followers were exiled."

T'Mir did nothing to hide the expression of both shock and disgust, why did those in power lived by a different set of rules than the rest?

"And they came to Earth? How do you know that?"

"It had been several years after their exile when we made an attempt to learn what had become of them, by then, a few scientists discovered Earth and the human species who we decided to avoid First Contact because their primitive culture, but we wanted to observe them."

T'Rina continued, "It was through our observations with humans we realized the terrible truth, Turan had come to Earth and his small crew had integrated themselves into the human population. What's worst a few of them had even mated and reproduced with the humans producing offspring." T'Rina wiped her mouth, "We didn't even know Vulcans were even sexually and biologically compatible with humans."

T'Mir and Stronn exchanged glances.

"At this time, human technology was just advanced enough that when human scientists discovered the ship they tracked down the Vulcans and imprisoned them. They extracted the Vulcans's DNA and began trying to infuse it into their own genes, but we weren't sure if they succeeded."

"So The High Command knew and didn't do anything about it?"

"What could they do? And besides the issue of contamination became sometimes of an irony, in a sense humanity had become contaminated because of Turan and his crew, but in coming to Earth we risked further damage. Not to mention, humanity was nowhere near developing warp drive and then came their war."

Captain Tavek allowed T'Rina to finish her meal, "The High Command hope the war with its destructive intensity would have destroyed any evidence including the Vulcan/Human offspring."

"But that didn't happen and so you sent us," T'Mir said.

"The war set back humanity do the point where First Contact outside of Turan mishap would never be possible, but given their prior experience with alien DNA we wanted to make sure nothing like this happen again. That is why is its disappointing to learn their government continued with using Vulcan DNA."

"The humans have no idea what they have unleashed," T'Rina added.

The Vulcans said nothing for a few minutes while they ate their meal as T'Mir and Stronn struggled to comprehend what they just heard.

T'Mir felt betrayed.

Stronn thought about Davina and Nell and fact that they were at least part Vulcan and then he thought of Mestral.

He knew never to tell anyone what happen as now knowing the truth and he was surprised when T'Mir didn't object.

Now he had to live with the knowledge of the truth and keep it secret.

* * *

(Later that night)

"Can you believe this?" T'Mir paced back in forth across from Stronn who never moved from his spot at the table.

Captain Tavek and T'Rina left to resume their duties.

"It doesn't matter anymore. We will go back to Vulcan and write up a false report leaving Mestral out of it."

"His family is going to want to know answers," T'Mir said.

Stronn kept his head down, "We won't say anything to them. You do know you forced his hand when you refused to help him."

T'Mir took a deep breath, "I know."

Stronn stood up and stood in front of T'Mir, "T'Mir, you are never going to talk about Mestral to anyone. We won't talk about him, Davina, Nell, or any of them. Do you understand? Let the High Command think whatever they want but we will say nothing."

"Understood."

"And another thing, I don't know what is going to become of you and I really don't care. I want nothing to do with you."

T'Mir was taken aback by Stronn's words, but before she had a chance to respond he walked out.

Now T'Mir was left to herself and she thought about Carbon Creek, Mestral, Davina, and little Nell.

What would become of them?

Of Earth?

Of humanity?

**An: I hope you enjoyed the story. The epilogue will tie up the loose ends regarding the faiths of T'Mir and Stronn. **


	10. Epilogue

**An: End of the story at last! **

**Epilogue**

(Fifteen Years Later)

In the years since leaving, T'Mir had become captain of the Danela aptly named using the first two initials of Davina and Nell and the last two of Sela's name.

Her newly appointed position as captain as well as her marriage and the birth of her daughter, named T'Davina helped provide T'Mir with a sense of purpose.

It also helped to her to forget about Carbon Creek, Mestral, the High Command's secrets, and fallout that followed between her and Stronn.

Memories of Carbon Creek often crept into her dreams for years Earth and T'Mir struggled to forgive herself for abandoning Mestral and Davina.

She thought of them so much and wondered what happen to them.

Where did they go?

Did they survive?

She knew in her heart that most likely both had been killed by The Coalition, but accepting that would have meant accepting Nell's death as well.

And T'Mir didn't want to think of the poor child suffering a terrible death at the hands of The Coalition.

She had so many questions, but Captain Tavek informed her of the importance of not asking any questions and the consequences of those who tried to seek them out.

What is The Coalition?

What became of Turon?

And what would happen to the humans? Would The High Command eventually send another team to 'observe'?

A part of T'Mir wanted to let it go and devote herself to advancing The High Command's agenda, nonetheless, a larger part of her wanted to get the answers to her questions.

With a decimated population of which there are an unknown number of human/Vulcan hybrids, would humans evolve into something else?

If so, what would be the long term consequences?

T'Mir sat there for nearly four hours thinking about such things until a commlink interrupted her thoughts.

She knew it was her daughter, T'Davina trying to reach her, the girl had just turned nine years old and had already showed promise of getting into the academy.

"T'Davina, how are you?" T'Mir asked.

T'Davina lived on Vulcan with her grandparents and father who taught literature at the academy.

"Everything is fine. I just wanted to know when would you be coming back to home?" T'Davina looked like her father with long raven hair pulled back into a pony tail with green piercing eyes and icy pale skin.

T'Mir looked away to the disk on her table, "Soon enough."

"Mother?"

"Yes."

"Is everything alright?"

T'Mir kept silent, "T'Davina have I ever told you the meaning of your name?"

T'Davina shook her head, "No."

"Vulcan parents traditionally share their with their children the meanings of their names once they reach your age, but your name is very special and I worry that if I share it, you won't understand."

T'Davina raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Tensions with the Andorians are increasing and soon I believe we will be at war with them. The High Command thinks so too and they are ordering my ship to parole the borders of Vulcan space. I know soon I will be ordered to move into Andorian space to engage them."

Confused T'Davina asked, "What are you talking about?"

"The High Command is going to declare war on Andoria simply because they want to advance Vulcan territory. Those planets rightfully belong to the Andorians. Growing up I always believed in The High Command, I believed in what they were doing and what they stood for. My dream was to break free of my family's legacy of servitude, attend the academy, and become a captain for the service of Vulcan. Now, I see that The High Command is no different than The Coalition."

"The Coalition?"

"T'Davina, I want you to know the meaning of your name because I fear I won't be around much longer. War is coming and I must do my part, I sacrifice my morals to achieve my place in the captain's seat. I want you to have something of mine's it's a diary of sorts, one that I started writing shortly after rescue from a planted known as Earth."

"Earth?"

T'Mir nodded her head, "Yes, Earth. It's very special place, a very special place inhabited by a species called humans. I am transmitting this diary to you now but you can't access it until you much older when you perhaps will be better able to understand what happen. And the choices I made."

"I can't access it?"

"No, I have it encrypted. It won't activate for another twenty years."

"Why?"

"Like I said, because I want to make sure you are old enough to understand what happen and the request I am going to make of you."

T'Davina said nothing until she heard her grandmother's voice in the background.

"Mother, I have to go."

"Take care."

T'Mir finished transferring the file.

Suddenly she thought of Stronn.

* * *

(Twelve Years Ago)

Despite Mestral's family constant scrutiny, T'Mir never told them anything.

T'Pena, Mestral's fiancé quickly found another man of noble birth and had several sons.

And The High Command assigned T'Mir her first command.

She enjoyed commanding her own ship and eventually accepted an offer of marriage once her parents made it clear their desire for grandchildren.

She also kept her promise, and never contacted Stronn again.

But she never knew what became of him.

Out of curiosity, T'Mir looked into the faculty listings at the academy and was surprised to see Stronn had never fulfilled his teaching position. It was a shock because Stronn had been offered the position long before the events at Carbon Creek and during the trip to Earth; he made many lesson plans in his anticipation of becoming a teacher.

T'Mir knew better than to try to contact him and learn what happen, after all it didn't concern her and Stronn refused all contact.

A few months later and before her deployment, T'Mir received a message from Tanek, Stronn's son.

He asked her to meet in park where he worked nearby at a lab.

She agreed.

"My father is dead. He died six months ago," Tanek said.

Tanek reminded T'Mir of Stronn and she suddenly felt the guilt of Carbon Creek threatening to overwhelm her emotions.

T'Mir lowered her head, "I am sorry."

"My father was never the same after returning from Earth, he became mentally unstable and was unable to take the position at the academy. My mother, a proud woman, covered up his illness by telling everyone he retired to spend time with his grandchildren. She was ashamed of his weakness," Tanek looked up at the sky.

T'Mir didn't say anything.

"My father lost all control of his emotions and went through extreme bouts of depression to point where he often cried even in public and sometimes he even became violent, especially with my mother who did her best to temper his outbursts."

"Why your mother?"

Tanek seem to ignore her question, "Last year, my wife gave birth to a daughter and my father became adamant that _he _name her. Eventually he wore us down and we decided to let him. He named my daughter, T'Nell, a very unusual name but I have a feeling might have something to do with his final mission."

"You didn't answer my question."

"She reminded him of you," Tanek's voice dropped.

T'Mir's eyes widen, "Me?"

"My father always talked about you, he cursed you. Whenever I ask what he meant he would only say, _'On Earth, I left my little one on Earth. She's dead. So am I. _What happen on his last mission? What is Earth? Who is Nell?"

He put his head in his hands.

"Tanek, I am under orders never to discuss what happen during Stronn's last mission. The only thing that I can tell you is that the experience changed both our lives….."

"Really?" Tanek spat, "Because all I see is a woman who benefited greatly from that mission while my father descend into madness. The last few months of his life he stayed in bed and kept repeating one phrase, _'I'm so sorry Nell_.'"

T'Mir stood up as she could sense Tanek's anger and feared what might happen if she stayed.

Tanek quickly grab her arm, "My father refused to eat, sleep or do anything expect for mumble those words over and over again. I wanted answers so I tried contacting The High Command, but they wouldn't tell me anything. So I looked for you. Now tell me what happen to my father!"

T'Mir pulled her arm away, nearby others who had heard the shouting watch in growing concern and she knew if Tanek continued authorities would be called.

"I don't know what to say to you. I am sorry."

T'Mir walked away.

"Carbon Creek, whatever this place was, destroyed him. All I want to know is why?" Tanek called after her.

* * *

(Twenty Years Later)

_All my life, I have devoted myself to the will of the High Command, shown obedience without question, and never doubted my decision to do so. Like all Vulcans, I believed the High Command existed for the benefit of the people, to serve the people and to protect the people. _

_But after this experience and learning the truth behind it, I can no longer be sure. _

_What was the point of it all? _

_Was I right? _

_Or just brainwash to think I was?_

_Right now, the answers won't come to me and I am struggling with the truth._

_Do I reveal it? _

_Or do I hide it in the dark depths of mind. _

_I've decided not to._

_T'Davina I want to share the meaning of your name and the truth behind it. A truth I had to keep to myself all these years. _

_But once I reveal it, I then must also place a terrible burden on you, one you will understand once I am done. _

T'Davina had reviewed her mother's message to her for the fifth time since the encryption was broken and she still struggled with what it revealed.

T'Mir had been killed less than five years ago during the war with the Andorians when her ship was destroyed and now she and her father were left alone.

She missed her mother but always felt T'Mir distance herself from her.

Now she understood why.

T'Mir had done a terrible thing and desperately tried to atone by naming both her ship and her daughter after those she lived with in Carbon Creek.

T'Davina sat in her room while her father prepared dinner.

She replayed the last part of her mother's message.

_Now you know what happen. _

_I might not ever know what you think of me, but it is my hope that least you understood why. _

_I was naive and this naivety led to my inaction which could have saved the lives of my friends. _

_Yes, T'Davina, Mestral, Davina, Nell, Sela, and all those people I lived with in Carbon Creek were my friends. I realized that now. _

_I betrayed them and for what?_

_A lie. _

_Now I must ask you to help in my atonement, my daughter. _

_I have been consumed by my guilt in leaving them behind, but it might not be too late. Or maybe it is. _

_I don't know. _

_But I need to know what happen. _

_Return to Earth._

_Do what you can and expose the truth. _

_Live long and prosper my daughter. _

T'Davina stopped the message.

Should she return to Earth?

Return to Carbon Creek?

**An: I hope you like the ending. I might write a sequel about T'Davina fulfilling her mother's wishes and learning more about Earth and the fallout of the Vulcan's DNA being mixed with humans. **


End file.
